The business consulting market in France

Eurostat counts 242,401 business and management consulting firms in France in 2024, up from 180,481 in 2021. They employ 276,239 people, of whom 179,271 are employees. Business consulting in France remains highly fragmented: in 2023, 93.8% of firms in the management consulting and public relations group (NAF 70.2) had one person or fewer, according to Eurostat’s structural business statistics (calculated from Eurostat).

In 2023, according to Eurostat, the 61 firms with 250 people or more in management consulting and public relations (NAF 70.2) generated €10.5bn in revenue in France, or 20.7% of a €50.7bn total (calculated from Eurostat). Firms with fewer than ten people accounted for €23.0bn, or 45.4%. Business consulting in France therefore combines a few large networks with a multitude of small firms and independents.

Regional firms are consolidating. According to Le Journal des entreprises (March 2026), CF, the Bordeaux-based business consulting group, passed €100m in revenue in 2025, up from €94m in 2024, with 1,200 staff across 28 sites, after acquisitions in Gironde, Toulouse and Lyon; it is targeting €150m in 2030. Business consulting in France also includes international firms, audit and consulting networks, and specialists.

Artificial intelligence is bringing new players into business consulting in France. According to Challenges (September 2026), Mister IA, an AI training and consulting start-up, generated €6.8m in revenue in 2025 and expects almost €15m in 2026, with 180 employees and more than 1,200 client companies, mostly SMEs and mid-sized firms. Its offer combines training, strategic support and the deployment of AI agents.

According to the Sénat (French Senate) commission of inquiry into the growing influence of private consulting firms on public policy (2022 report), the State spent more than €1bn on consulting services in 2021, an amount that has more than doubled since 2018. The report opened a lasting debate in France on how government use of consulting firms should be regulated, a share of the demand addressed to the business consulting market.

A PDF report in French, 2026 edition, organised in six chapters: definition and scope of business consulting, market size and dynamics, demand from companies and the public sector, supply and players, regulation and constraints, market outlook.

Eurostat’s structural business statistics, the work of the Sénat (French Senate) on the use of consulting firms, company communications and trade press articles from the IndexPresse database. Every figure comes with its source and period.

Yes. The study is updated before it is sent, within 48 hours at most: it includes the latest published data, and every figure comes with its source and period.

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